Gold Cup Group Stage Concludes with Houston Doubleheader
(image via Concacaf.com)
Shell Energy Stadium is set to host another doubleheader of matches in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. Tonight’s two matches will finish up group play and set the bracket for the knockout rounds. The tournament will conclude in Houston, at NRG Stadium, with the final on July 6.
Tonight’s two matches will feature teams from Group B and Group C, with simultaneous games from their group kicking off in other locations. The first match of the night will feature Guadeloupe and Guatemala going head to head in Group C.
Guatemala comes into this match with three points, looking to pick up a win and advance. They beat Jamaica 1-0 in their opening match of the tournament and then lost by the same score line against Panama in their second match. Jamaica and Panama will play in the other match in Group C, at the same time as this match. If Panama win and finish the group perfect, Guatemala are through to the quarterfinals, regardless of what they do in their match. If Jamaica beats Panama, and Guatemala wins, three teams will finish with six points and goal difference will be used to break the tie. If Guatemala draw, they advance if Jamaica lose. If both teams draw, the tie with Jamaica will be broken by group goals score. If Guatemala lose, they need Jamaica to also lose, and then it comes down to goal difference.
Guadeloupe, Guatemala’s opponent, have a much bigger task if they are to keep their Gold Cup alive. After losses to Panama and Jamaica in their first two matches, Guadeloupe must win tonight if they want any chance at advancing. If they do win, it will have to be by at least two goals, with Jamaica also losing to Panama. If Jamaica lose by one goal, it would put Guadeloupe in second. But, if Jamaica loses by more, Guatemala will likely take second with more goals scored.
The second match sees two teams from Group B return who played at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, in Canada and El Salvador. Canada were stunned by a last second equalizer from Curacao and now must sweat out their final match, some what. Barring a major collapse, like losing by five or more goals to El Salvador, the Canadians will advance. If they win tonight, they advance as group winners. Even a draw likely sees them when the group, unless Honduras also beats Curacao in the other game from the group that kicks off at the same time. If Canada lose to El Salvador and there is a draw in that other game, the Canadians will still advance.
El Salvador were beaten by their Central American rivals Honduras in Houston on Saturday night and now face an uphill climb to make it past the group stage. With just one point from their first match draw against Curacao, the Salvadorans must win against Canada. They’ll have the raucous crowd behind them, we know that. If they do win, they will need a draw in the Honduras v Curacao match. If that match has a winner, El Salvador must beat Canada by five goals or more to keep their tournament alive.
For any ties in the group stage, the Gold Cup’s tiebreakers, in order are: group goal difference, group goals scored, head-to-head between the teams, and then more if needed. With all four teams in Houston still battling to keep their Gold Cup dreams alive, it should be another memorable night at Shell Energy Stadium.
